Bonnardel reopens Peq Quebec for 2 years, starts July 2
François Bonnardel said Quebec will reopen peq quebec for two years and begin treating applications again on July 2. The minister of Immigration said people who were admissible before the program was abolished in November 2025 will be able to apply again, with no cap on the number of files.
François Bonnardel and July 2
Bonnardel told a news conference that the government will process every expression of interest. “Tout le monde qui va manifester son intérêt va être traité. Tout le monde,” he said. He also said: “Il n'y a pas de plafond.”
The announcement gives a date and a route back into the system for people who had been left outside it after the abolition of the Programme de l'expérience québécoise in November 2025. For applicants who had qualified before that change, the reopening restores a path to submit again when processing restarts.
Christine Fréchette's pledge
The move follows a promise Christine Fréchette made during the CAQ leadership race to reactivate the PEQ for two years. Bonnardel's announcement came nearly two months after she took office, and it matches that pledge on both duration and direction.
That makes the reopening more than a simple administrative restart. It ties the government to a commitment Fréchette made before taking office, while also reversing a November 2025 decision that had ended the program and left many would-be applicants waiting for a new opening.
Immigration thresholds
The government still says it intends to respect the immigration thresholds it set last fall. Those thresholds call for 45,000 permanent immigrants per year by 2029, including about 29,000 in the economic immigration category.
That leaves the reopened PEQ inside a broader intake plan rather than outside it. Bonnardel's no-cap approach applies during the reopening period, but the overall immigration target remains fixed, and the economic share remains the largest part of that plan.
Jean-François Roberge had presented the newer Programme de sélection de travailleurs qualifiés as better aligned with Quebec's needs, saying it lets the government choose candidates based on several criteria, including French knowledge, and prioritize people outside the Montreal metropolitan area. The reopening of the PEQ now runs alongside that program, not in place of it.
For people who were admissible before November 2025, the practical change is simple: Quebec will start taking their applications again on July 2, and Bonnardel says everyone who applies will be treated. The reopened window lasts two years.
